CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Whoever you ask about new Reds outfielder JJ Bleday and getting him back to the standout level he was at in 2024, the answer always starts the same way.
“Sometimes change of scenery guys getting a chance at that works,” Terry Francona said.
Before you get to Bleday’s swing, his mechanics or his athletic profile, the conversation begins with Bleday getting a fresh start after spending the last three seasons with the Athletics.
“Maybe a change of scenery is good,” Reds hitting coach Chris Valaika said. “Having the success and track record he has had, it’s in there. It’s digging in, looking under the hood at things he has done well and looking at where we’re at now physically, mentally. Trying to dive in when the times are appropriate. Now, it’s about building relationships, seeing how he comes into camp and we’ll make the necessary adjustments if there are any when that time is right.”
The talent is in there for the No. 4 overall pick of the 2019 MLB Draft (three spots ahead of Nick Lodolo). With the Athletics in 2024, Bleday hit .243 with a .762 OPS (20% above league average). Had he been playing in Great American Ball Park instead of the cavernous Oakland Coliseum, Bleday would have hit 31 homers in 2024. In 2024, Bleday made hard contact, didn’t chase, took his walks and was a really impressive young outfielder.
In 2025, Bleday hit .212 with a .698 OPS He was optioned to Triple-A twice during the season, and he was non-tendered by the Athletics at the end of the year. In December, Reds signed him to a deal for $1.4 million.
This winter, Bleday has been working to get back to the player he was two years ago. His process doesn’t start in the batter’s box.
“It’s not a strength issue, it’s using my athleticism a bit better,” Bleday said. “The main thing has been quickness and speed based training from weight lifting and physicality standpoint. In the past, I’ve done a lot of strength and moved weight, but I’m strong enough.”
He believes that being more athletic will directly translate into a more consistent swing.
“Hitting wise, it’s keeping my fluidity,” Bleday said. “Don’t stop. I was almost stopping and double loading last season. That hindered my ability and my contact rate. Going into this year, I feel really good with where I’m at. Pretty similar to 2024.”
Nick Krall described the Bleday signing as a “potential upside” move. Bleday has done it before in the big leagues, and he hopes to become the impact left field bat that the Reds have been missing.
“My power is a natural ability” Bleday said. “I really don’t try to do it. If you put yourself in good counts and don’t try to get too big, that’s when you do damage. Playing in a ballpark like (GABP) will naturally reward you. It’s about fine tuning my approach, being confident in the mechanical changes I’ve made and using the whole field, not just trying to pull the baseball.”
While the roster expected to change between now and spring training, Bleday would currently be competing for time in left field with Will Benson, Dane Myers and prospect Héctor Rodríguez, as well as Spencer Steer on days where Sal Stewart is at first base and Steer can play left. An addition to the roster would shift the depth chart, but Bleday is going to get a shot this spring to show that he can play every day.
Here are four more interesting, under-the-radar Reds.
Dane Myers
The Reds’ plan for a more consistent season out of Elly De La Cruz is mixing in a few more off days for him, giving him a few more chances to get off of his feet and setting him up better for the totality of the grind of the 162-game season.
There’s a similar idea around TJ Friedl, who made 148 starts in center field last season. After an All-Star caliber first half of the season, Friedl’s production dipped after the break.
There was a stretch last August where the Reds didn’t have a backup center fielder on the roster and needed to try Noelvi Marte out there because Friedl needed a day off. Friedl’s only backups last year were Will Benson — who made nine starts in center field last season and is better in the corners — and Blake Dunn — who made four starts in center field last season.
Since the start of the offseason, the Reds have been discussing the importance of adding more depth in center field because of what that could mean for Friedl. Bleday can play center, and Marte will also take some reps in center field this spring.
But the big upgrade toward the Reds’ center field depth will be Dane Myers.
“I’ve seen a lot of (Myers’) defensive highlights,” Bleday said. “He’s a really good defender, he can really put the ball on the baseball and he’s a tremendous athlete.”
The Reds keep putting an emphasis on defense, and the latest example is adding a depth piece in Myers who has proven to be a playmaker in the outfield and has one of the best outfield arms in the game.
The question with Myers is what you’re going to get from him at the plate.
“I’m in a good hitting spot and can execute my approach every single at-bat,” Myers said. “I’ve always been a guy who likes to use the whole field. When I’m able to slow the game down and focus on my plan and my approach, it usually works out pretty well.”
Myers was a two-way player in college, was drafted as a pitcher and wasn’t a full-time position player until the 2021 minor league season.
He debuted with the Marlins in 2023. Then in 2024, he had an impressive 44-game stretch in the big leagues. He hit .263 with a .775 OPS (well above league-average), and Myers was on pace to drive in 70 runs. Then in a game against the Reds at GABP in July, after getting ejected for arguing a check swing, Myers kicked a door and broke his ankle. Myers was on the IL until the final week of the season, missing over two months.
In 2025, Myers hit .235 with a poor .617 OPS in 333 at-bats.
“I learned the league is tough,” Myers said. “Taking the same at-bats throughout the whole year, not getting too high or low. Riding out the good feels and getting rid of the bad ones as quick as possible. The new (coaching) staff here will help me a lot with that. I can learn a bit more about myself, and I’m excited for that.”
Myers has always hit left-handed pitching, posting a career .297 batting average against them. He had a higher batting average vs. LHP in 2025 than he did in 2024.
When Friedl needs a blow, when the Reds are facing a left-hander or in situations where the Reds want to get their best defensive lineup on the field, Myers has the tools to make an impact.
Connor Phillips
It’s Sept. 26, and the Reds were playing a must-win game in the final series of the regular season. Zack Littell had a short start that night, going 4 ⅔ innings. Phillips ended the fifth inning by getting Brewers second baseman Brice Turang — maybe the most underrated player in baseball — to strike out. Then, Phillips carved through the middle of the Brewers’ lineup in a dominant and scoreless sixth inning.
The Reds picked up a 3-1 victory, and Phillips earned the win.
“What he did down the stretch for us was incredible,” closer Emilio Pagán said last week. “You could argue we don’t make the playoffs without him down the stretch.”
Last September, Phillips posted a 1.35 ERA while mostly appearing in high-leverage situations in must-win games. The Reds have bolstered their middle relief core by signing Pierce Johnson and Caleb Ferguson as well as trading for Brock Burke. But don’t forget about Phillips.
“I’m excited to see what he has done,” Pagán said. “I’ve talked to him a good bit. I know there’s some stuff he’s working on. I’ll let him reveal those secrets. He’s a super talented arm.”
Chase Petty
Petty, 22 years old, is younger than a few of the pitchers that the Reds just picked in the 2025 MLB Draft.
He had a tough 2025 season. While he made his big league debut, Petty spent of of his time on the roster in the bullpen waiting for his turn. He allowed 13 runs across his three appearances with the Reds, and Petty also posted a 6.39 ERA in 26 Triple-A starts. Still, Petty is a young guy who Baseball America had ranked as a top-100 prospect in the past. Last weekend, when Andrew Abbott was asked who he’s looking forward to watching in spring training, he said Petty.
“He has really good stuff,” Abbott said. “Really good head on his shoulders. I’m excited to see what he did in the offseason and see the mentality of him coming into camp. Work for it, put your head down. Everyone will get their chance. Just go to work. Use guys who have been there and done that to piggyback off of and learn from.”
Spencer Steer and Sal Stewart — defensively at second base
Following the Gavin Lux trade, what infield depth do the Reds have?
Let’s say that on a given day, the Reds have Stewart at DH, Steer at first, Matt McLain at second, De La Cruz at short and Ke’Bryan Hayes at third. With that lineup and with the Reds’ the current roster construction, the team wouldn’t have a single infielder on their bench that day. If an infielder rolled an ankle, the Reds wouldn’t have any options to replace that player.
What if it’s a day where De La Cruz needs a day off? McLain will be at shortstop, but who plays second?
“We’ve talked a bit about Spencer being able to move to back the outfield a little bit more. Maybe more around second base,” general manager Brad Meador said back in November, at the start of the offseason.
Here are the options for the Reds’ infield depth:
Have Spencer Steer or Sal Stewart available to play second base. Put an infield utility player who’s already in the organization and can play second base on the big league roster (Tyler Callihan, Michael Chavis or Garrett Hampson) Sign an infield utility player between now and Opening Day (the next Santiago Espinal — someone like Luis Rengifo, Adam Frazier or Isiah Kiner-Falefa, or maybe Espinal).
Whether or not Steer or Stewart can play second base could end up deciding whether or not the Reds need to dedicate a roster spot to a utility infielder in 2026.
In 2025, Steer didn’t play any second base. In 2024, Steer made seven appearances (two starts) at second base. He also got in a lot of work at second base in during 2024 spring training, and that work honestly didn’t go very well. In 2023, Steer made 16 appearances (13 starts) at second base. In the Minors, Steer made 88 starts at second base.
Stewart made 17 starts at second base in the Minor Leagues last season, but he didn’t play the position in the big leagues. He has spent most of his career as a third baseman, and a big emphasis for Stewart this winter has been working on his defense at first base.
Two bonus players: Prospects Alfredo Duno and Kyle Henley
When McLain was asked who he’s most looking forward to watching this spring, he said Duno. “I’ve seen his BP. You’ve got to stop and watch.”
Duno, who has lost a ton of weight over the last two years, has a chance to be the Reds’ top prospect by the end of the year. He’s a slugging 20-year-old catcher who posted a .948 OPS last year in High-A.
Center fielder Kyle Henley is a sleeper. Outside of De La Cruz, Henley might be the best athlete in the organization. The 21-year-old was a 14th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Denmark High School in Georgia. In Low-A Daytona last year, Henley hit .267 with 57 stolen bases while playing terrific defense. He also struck out 135 times last season, and the next step for him is improving versus the breaking ball.
Henley said that when he was in high school, he ran a 40-yard dash that was in the 4.3-second range (he believes he could do even better now). In high school, Henley spoke with several college football programs. You could easily see him shadowing a wide receiver down the sideline in press-man coverage.
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